Political Shockers of the Day — Mike Bloomberg Opposed to “Living Wage” Bill, Daniel Halloran NOT Running for Congress

May 25, 2010

Mayor Bloomberg — surprise, surprise — is opposed to the latest City Council move to attach a “living wage” to projects that receive $100,000 or more on the dole from the city. And in other shocking developments, the city council’s Heathen decides against a run for Congress — for now.

The Daily News reports that the wage bill — which would require firms doing business with the city to pay workers $11.50 an hour, or $10.00 an hour plus benefits — is to be introduced in the City Council today. The Mayor says the bill “will not work,” but a project to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall was scuttled by the Council last fall precisely because it was receiving some $14 million in city aid and yet wouldn’t commit to paying a living wage.

Wage and labor issues for people working in the city have been on a collision course with the mayor lately. Earlier this month, the City Council introduced legislation to make employers provide mandatory paid sick leave. The bill initially applied to employers with 10 or more employees, but even when that number was doubled to 20, the Mayor still won’t state whether he supports it or not. The bill has 35 co-sponsors — one more than the veto-proof supermajority which could make it law without the Mayor’s signature — but Speaker Christine Quinn (who has not voiced her support) has yet to schedule it for a vote.

That bill is vehemently opposed by our favorite Republican on the City Council, freshman member Daniel Halloran of Queens. Halloran, we were terribly disappointed to learn, has recently announced that he’s not going to try to challenge fourteen term Representative Gary Ackerman for New York’s 5th congressional seat. No matter how bad the Democrats’ odds may be this year, the NRCC has apparently decided not to try to run the first Heathen for Congress in this cycle.

Halloran is already floating a 2012 run, though. Maybe he’s hoping to ride Sarah Palin’s skirt to congress, but though the two share a common disdain for government, we can’t picture her bringing the Christian right around to vote for the Prince of New Normandy.
(Maybe he’s hoping for the miracle of a Jesus-Tiw coalition).